Ask the CFO July 1, 2025: Are You Still Doing Work a Bot Could Handle?

We kicked off July’s Ask the CFO with a bit of classic irony — tech issues on a day I planned to talk about… tech. After a brief detour into split screens and microphone mysteries, we got rolling.

And honestly, it felt like the perfect metaphor.

Because when it comes to business operations, most of us are still dealing with a lot of “split screens.” Systems that don’t talk to each other. Processes that eat up valuable time. People working harder than they should just to keep things from falling apart.

That’s where Robotic Process Automation (RPA) comes in — and it was the heart of what we explored during the session.

From Transactional to Value-Added

I shared a core principle I’ve brought into every finance department I’ve led: your team’s time should be spent on value-added work, not transactional noise.

If 98% of your staff’s time is going toward entering invoices, updating spreadsheets, or tracking down payments, you're not getting the most out of your people — and they’re probably not loving it either.

That’s where automation starts to shine.
RPA doesn’t replace people. It redeploys them to better work.

Real Use Cases: Where RPA Already Works

We dug into simple, effective RPA use cases that small and mid-sized businesses can take advantage of right now:

• Accounts Payable automation — Using OCR tools to scrape invoice emails, do a 3-way match, and set up for payment.

• Order processing — Automatically inputting web orders into your system without human touch.

• Cash application — Some banks now offer automation tools that link directly to your ERP or GL and handle incoming payments without manual entry.

• Job description generation — Why spend hours on what AI can draft in minutes?

One participant shared a great example: he used to spend three hours comparing Amazon and Walmart fulfillment records with payment reports. Now, he uploads both spreadsheets to ChatGPT and gets the exceptions in three minutes.

That’s the kind of time-saving we’re after.

It’s Not About Fancy Tech — It’s About Business Basics

I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it: this isn’t about shiny new tools. It’s about looking at your core business processes and asking, “Where are we spending time on things a system could do?”

You don’t need to start with a six-figure solution. Start with the bottlenecks:

• Are your AP processes still manual?

• Are orders getting delayed because of data entry?

• Is your team spending time compiling reports when the data already exists?

Fix those first.

The Human Side of Automation

One of the big themes that came up during the session: change can be uncomfortable. People know how to do their jobs. They might be bored, but they’re efficient — and automation can feel like a threat.

That’s where leadership comes in.

RPA should free people up to do better work — not make them fear for their jobs.
This is about building smarter businesses, not leaner payrolls.

What I’m Looking For

As I shared in the session, I’m always on the hunt for new automation use cases — especially from folks who’ve implemented them in real companies.

I know finance and ops. But if you’ve seen RPA working in marketing, HR, customer service, or inventory — I want to hear about it.

I’m not the flashiest tech guy. I’m a CFO who’s focused on making businesses work better. If you’ve got ideas or case studies, send them my way.

Final Thoughts

Thanks again to everyone who joined — and especially to those who shared stories and strategies.

We’ll be back on Monday, July 15 at 10:00 AM PT for the next Ask the CFO, where we’ll keep digging into how to make your business run smoother, smarter, and with fewer headaches.

Until then —
Automate the busywork. Focus on what matters.

—Lowell